The present invention relates to information storage and retrieval apparatus in general, but, more specifically, to a hand-held, manually-operable apparatus suitable for the storage and retrieval of information on discs, such as numerical tables, formulas, conversion tables and the like.
Students, engineers, pilots, housewives and many other categories of persons frequently have need of information which may be presented conveniently in graphic or tabular form. An example of one such need is a conversion table for the Englishmetric system. Another example might well be a table of numerical constants.
Heretofore, data conversion, for example, as employed by students, engineers, pilots, housewives and the like has required the use of books, tables and a variety of devices employing sliders or discs arranged in a slide rule like fashion.
So far as is known, however, no device is now available or has been proposed in which a plurality of data discs, sliding members, or the like are conveniently stored in a single device for selective individual use in solving different information source and conversion problems. If a student has had a need for different types of information, he has been required to use a variety of books and tables. Because these things are generally bulky, they are frequently inconvenient to carry around and, consequently, not always readily available when needed. Also, when a particular table or type of information is required, it is frequently necessary to purchase or use a source which contains a great deal of other information which is not required or is required only once in a while. This leads to needless expense and inconvenience.